A traveler saw Wei-Fun sitting at a roadside stall and stopped to talk. He told Wei-Fun that he had once taken an interest in the Dharma, but found the goal of peace to be fundamentally at odds with the reality of conflict. "Meditation is just burying your head in the sand," he said.
"The practice is not turning away," said Wei-Fun, "The goal is seeing things as they are. Seeing things as they are is the end of suffering."
"But reality is conflict," the traveler replied, "How could seeing things as they are be the end of suffering? How could seeing suffering as it is be the end of suffering?"
"With what does the reality of suffering conflict?" asked Wei-Fun.
"Wanting things to be different from how they are," the traveler replied.
Wei-Fun said, "Wanting things to be different from how they are is suffering, and thus accords with reality. With what does reality conflict?"
The traveler replied, "If wanting things to be different from how they are is suffering, how is seeing 'wanting things to be different from how they are' as it is the end of suffering?
"What does wanting things to be different want?" asked Wei-Fun.
"...You seem a little lost," the traveler replied.
"How can I be lost," said Wei-Fun, "When I don't know where I'm going?"
The traveler replied, "How can you not be lost when you don't know where you're going?!"
Wei-Fun said, "Hopelessly lost."